Gordon Adon Research Conferences, which celebrated their 50th year anniversary in 1981, were created to provide an opportunity for the free exchange of new ideas and information in various areas of science. The conference on CANCER in 1982 was the 36th on this subject, making it one of the oldest and most successful in this series. The Conference had as its general theme "Regulatory Mechanisms in Carcinogenesis" and considered the factors controlling and regulating cell proliferation at the molecular, cellular and whole animal levels. The session topics and speakers were selected to include discussions of carcinogenesis from several aspects: changes in gene structure and function; the transformed phenotype and the factors regulating these morphological changes; the cell membrane and an analysis of the release from it of cell surface macromolecules; and the pathophysiological consequences of such release (loss of adhesion, coagulation, invasion and metastases and, possibly, immune suppression). Finally, utilizing concepts emerging from studies of changes in the cancer cell membrane, the conference considered the implications of this with respect to diagnosis and therapy of cancer utilizing monoclonal antibodies for targeting. The program emphasized the importance of the interactions and overlapping of various regulating controls in carcinogenesis.